Zara McDermott has opened up about the intense fitness regime that saw her shed an impressive three stone.
The former Love Island star has been open on her journey in the past and has hosted the BBC Three documentary Zara McDermott: Disordered Eating.
Zara shared one snap of herself from June 2019 in a bikini and then another more recent snap to celebrate how far she’s come.
On her Instagram, where she posts lifestyle and fitness content to her almost two million followers, she wrote: “The first pic of me was a girl who never exercised and ate whatever she wanted.”
The star added that she “wasn’t unhappy or insecure” in the first photo, but that she was conscious that she “needed to start exercising, eating more fruits and vegetables and making wiser choices in order to be healthier.”
The 26 year old has been a big proponent of weight training and often posts videos of her spending time in the gym.
In a recent post, Zara shared that she was stuck in a “rut” with her body several years ago but decided to take a “leap of faith” and throw herself into an intense gym weight training regime.
She shared that by choosing weight training as her primary means of exercise, her day to day life has become easier, she’s improved her posture and been able to eat “pretty much whatever I want”.
The former reality star was candid about the fact that it isn’t always easy for her to stay motivated, but that she’s able to keep mostly on track by committing to at least three hours a week as a “non-negotiable” amount of training.
Zara added that it helps that the progress helps her feel a sense of accomplishment and leaves her thanking herself after every single session.
The main exercises she incorporates into her leg days are romanian deadlifts, leg curls, hip thrusts and elevated heel squats.
For her arm movements, isn’t quite as regimented and explained that although she regularly employs bent arm rows, besides that she admits her upper body exercises can be “quite random.”
The star, who recently lent her support to revenge porn victim and ex Love Islander Georgia Harrison, is also a big fan of cardio and revealed that she always tries to do at least ten minutes on the stairmaster machine at least once per week.
In her BBC documentary, Zara investigated the impact of influencers, including herself, have on the younger generation with their social media posts.
The star herself admitted that her own social media posts had been ‘triggering’ to young girls who suffer from eating disorders.
If you need help or support for an eating disorder, please call Beat on 0808 801 0677 or visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
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